Following a 9 day long festival the members of the International Jury headed by Frances McDormand (USA), Maji-da Abdi (Ethiopia), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Italy), Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Peter Rommel (Germany), Gabriele Salvatores (Italy) and Dan Talbot (USA) have awarded the following prizes for feature films screening in the Competition to:

The Golden Bear to
GEGEN DIE WAND / Head On by Fatih Akin

The Jury Grand Prix - Silver Bear to
EL ABRAZO PARTIDO /Lost Embrace by Daniel Burman

The Silver Bear for Best Director to
Kim Ki-Duk for his film SAMARIA Samaritan Girl

The Silver Bear ex aequo for Best Actress to
- Catalina Sandino Moreno
for her role in MARIA, LLENA ERES DE GRACIA / Maria Full of Grace by Joshua Marston

and aequo for Best Actress to
- Charlize Theron for her role in MONSTER by Patty Jenkins

The Silver Bear for Best Actor to
Daniel Hendler
for his role in EL ABRAZO PARTIDO / Lost Embrace by Daniel Burman

The Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution to
The Entire Ensemble

of the film
OM JAG VÄNDER MIG OM / Daybreak by Björn Runge

The Silver Bear for Best Film Music to

Banda Osiris for the music in the film PRIMO AMORE / First Love by Matteo Garrone

AGICOA’S Blue Angel Award
AGICOA’s Blue Angel Award for the best European film – endowed with 25,000 euros for its director – goes to

OM JAG VÄNDER MIG OM / Daybreak by Björn Runge

Alfred Bauer Prize
The Alfred Bauer Prize – awarded in memory of the Berlinale’s founder – for the best first feature film goes to

MARIA, LLENA ERES DE GRACIA / Maria Full of Grace by Joshua Marston.


Gegen die Wand / HEAD ON

“You know, you can put an end to your life without committing suicide”, the doctor whispers into forty-year-old Cahit’s ear. Cahit, who is recovering from a suicide attempt in a special hospital ward, knows exactly what he means. Even if he still longs to numb the anger deep inside him with drugs and alcohol.


The story of GEGEN DIE WAND / HEAD ON by Fatih Akin

Sibel is a beautiful twenty-year-old who, like Cahit, is of Turkish extraction.
She loves life far too much to behave like a decent Muslim.Her own suicide attempt was a bid to escape the prison that her very devout, traditional parents have built around her. She has survived, only to discover that her action has by no means paved the way for the freedom she so desires.

As Sibel sees it, her only chance to escape her family now is to ask Cahit to marry her. After some initial hesitation, Cahit agrees - perhaps because he realises that this is a way of saving himself. But it may just be because, for once in his life, he’d like to do something useful. Before long, the pair are sharing an apartment – and very little else.

Sibel relishes every moment of her new-found freedom. Cahit, however,continues to go to bed with his sometime lover,Maren. But then, gradually,love begins to creep into his life.Cahit falls in love with Sibel; in time, he evenstarts to enjoy life again, finding the strength he needs to go on. Although Sibel continues to see other men, she too discovers that she has fallen in love with Cahit. However, her realisation comes too late: in a fit of jealous rage Cahit kills one of her lovers. Cahit is arrested. Disowned by her family, Sibel escapes to Istanbul where she meets Cahit on his release from prison.
Apparently, he still believes that they have a future together . . .